The Director for Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mr Robert Arday , has stated that the government has paid all outstanding arrears to the caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
In addition, he said, the ministry had started payment for the first term of the 2015/2016 academic year. To consolidate the gains and ensure the sustainability of the GSFP, the director said the ministry had developed a national school feeding programme policy.
Mr Ablo was speaking at a procurement governance for a home-grown school feeding project in Accra on Sunday. It was organised by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation.
He said the ministry was currently working on legislation on social protection and the school feeding programmes.
He indicated that his outfit had also initiated a number of interventions, such as auditing the GSFP, the development of a database of caterers and pupils being fed and a new contract arrangement for caterers to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of the programme.
Smallholder farmers
The Country Director of SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Mr Andre de Jager, said 10,000 smallholder farmers from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions had been engaged by the organisation to provide farm produce for caterers in the area.
He said the aim of the project was to improve the local procurement process of the GSFP by connecting smallholder farmers with caterers.
He explained that most caterers under the GSFP were in financial distress because of the delay in paying them.
He said the project was, therefore, meant to create opportunities for caterers to buy foodstuffs from farmers on credit, while providing ready market for the local farmers.
Background
The project was piloted in 20 districts in the three northern regions where it developed and introduced inclusive public procurement tools and procedures to enhance caterer businesses among others benefits.
Other interventions included match-making events among procurers, caterers and farmer organisations, strengthening commercial management of farmers and creation of market intelligence platforms.
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